When Todd Pollock decided to run his first marathon, he thought he could wing it. He bought cheap shoes and went out for 3- and 5-milers during the week. On weekends he’d run as far as 16 miles without any water, energy gel, or food. Todd couldn’t figure out why he felt so tired. One day, his knee started hurting. He kept running, trying to stick it out, until his knee pain worsened and he couldn’t run at all.

“Preparing on my own just got me an injury and a bib for a marathon I couldn’t run,” says Todd. One year after his injury, he took a second shot at a marathon, but this time he used the 16-week training plan from Runner’s World, following it to the letter.

Todd made it to the 2009 Philadelphia Marathon healthy and finished in 3:21. Five months later, he went on to qualify for the Boston Marathon with a 3:19 finish at the Pocono Mountain Run for the Red Marathon.

Todd is not alone. Runners are a gutsy bunch and push the limits, but a proven training plan is the difference between going long and finishing strong or facing a painful crash and burn. Be a winner and finish strong, finish fast, and hit your goals injury free. Send for your FREE PREVIEW today!

If these runners can hurdle challenges, so can YOU! Meet men and women who have overcome some of the biggest hurdles in their lives, yet have gone on to meet — or exceed — their own race goals. Every one of them is a winner. Their stories are a surefire way to motivate and inspire you to a can-do attitude.

“It was tough at first, and often painful, but the more I ran, the more I lost and the better I felt. In 2001, I walked my first marathon. I was 265 pounds. During my third marathon, I broke my ankle but finished anyway.”

“As I trained, the extra pounds started slowly falling off. I ran a 3:38 at the 2010 Richmond Marathon, setting a 17-minute PR, and I dropped down another belt size.”